


Relationships Are a Subscription, Not an Upfront Purchase

by Feather_Song



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Minor Byun Baekhyun/Do Kyungsoo | D.O, The rest of the guys are mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:33:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24856918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feather_Song/pseuds/Feather_Song
Summary: It’s not that being a defence attorney is bad or anything, it's just that sometimes Minseok has to defend people like Byun Baekhyun.Alternatively, the rich boyfriends!AU in which Minseok and Junmyeon rely on retail therapy and expensive dates to distract from the stress of their most idiotic court case yet.
Relationships: Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Kim Minseok | Xiumin
Comments: 10
Kudos: 45
Collections: Beautiful Accidents Fest 2020





	Relationships Are a Subscription, Not an Upfront Purchase

**Author's Note:**

> (prompt #15)
> 
> dear recipient, i hope it's okay that i took it and ran with it, and i hope that, by the end, you'll feel as fond of these fools as i do.

**SUNDAY:**

The call comes through just as Twice are wrapping up their performance on Inkigayo, the fading bars of ‘Knock Knock’ blending into the MC’s enthusiastic warbling and the screams of the crowd. Junmyeon has his feet up on the couch and his face buried in Minseok’s stomach, wearing that John Smedley sweater that both know suits Junmyeon better. He’s coiled up tightly, arms thrown around his knees and hands locked together. 

The couch is easily spacious enough for both of them to stretch out however they’d like but every evening, without fail, the both of them end up tucked into the corner under the Graham & Brown throw they’d bought during their last visit to London. 

There’s a bottle of La Rioja Alta on the coffee table, but it’s unopened and has been standing there, untouched, for a few days already. They’d been planning on celebrating a win, but things had gone wrong at the last moment (as they always seemed to do in their line of work), so the trial has been extended for a few more weeks. Go figure. Minseok hates his job sometimes.

It’s not that being a defence attorney is _bad_ or anything, it just sucks at times. There are times Minseok has to defend people who he knows are guilty, has to watch as they walk away as free men and wait for the numbers in his bank account to take a leap at the cost of society’s safety. But Junmyeon understands at least, or as much as a prosecutor is able to: sometimes he has to convict people who he knows didn’t commit the crime. At the end of the day, it’s all part of the job description. 

Either way, they have a nice house and a nice car (a few of each, actually) so Minseok thinks they’re happy, mostly. It’s not that he measures happiness in money per se, it’s just that - well. Everybody knows that money can buy things to _make_ someone happy, even if it can’t buy happiness itself. Minseok’s happiness is seeing Junmyeon smile, and what makes Junmyeon smile is making Minseok happy. So, in the end, it all works out pretty well. 

The sudden trilling of Minseok’s phone - it’s the loud and annoying ringtone, his work one - is enough to make both of them jump and frantically blink back the haze of sleepiness. Junmyeon groans and makes as if to move but hesitates, curls back up; Minseok knows he’s not going anywhere. 

“Alright babe, lemme just--” Minseok slides from the sofa carefully, moving gently so as not to jostle his tired partner (being in the legal line of work is never a 9-5 ordeal). As soon as he is untangled enough, Minseok lunges for the phone. He’s already irate enough as it is, and seeing Jongdae’s smirk on the caller ID does nothing to improve his mood.

“It’s date night,” he intones. 

“I know. For me too. But something came up.” Jongdae sounds just as exhausted, which is almost enough to make Minseok feel better.

Now, if Minseok had known who he would be put through to, he would have never answered the call. He would have turned his phone off or switched it to silent or thrown it out of the window. But he stabs the button and answers the call and even though Jongdae sounds apologetic, it’s just not enough. Not enough to justify who he redirects the call to.

“Good evening,” Minseok manages to growl out, not too unpleasantly, as soon as the line clicks over. “What can I help you with?” There’s the distinct clatter of handcuffs against a metal interrogation table (he’s heard it enough times to know) and a few raised voices in the background followed by a dull thud of a door and then an all-too-brief silence.

“I need you to come to the station, but you _must not_ bail me out, okay hyung? Thanks! See you soon!” The line goes dead. So do Minseok’s hopes for a pleasant night in. 

Sometimes, Minseok has to defend people like Byun Baekhyun.

* * *

Minseok knows the police department better than he’s frankly comfortable with, and Yifan sends him a tight smile from behind his desk as the lawyer passes through the sliding doors. It’s piled up with paperwork, about three take-out coffee cups from the third-floor cafeteria, and a mess of stationery. Without looking up from what he's doing, the officer digs out the visiting sheet and pushes it across for Minseok to sign with his favourite Hugo Boss pen.

“Knife crime,” Yifan says without a pause in his intense typing, “Zitao will take you to see him”. 

Zitao seems to be one of the newer officers and Minseok doesn’t know him that well (yet), so they walk in painful silence until they reach the holding cell. Eventually - thankfully - they stop, and Zitao takes his time in flipping through the various keys on his belt to find the right one. Zitao looks like he lives life in the fast lane, but dealing with Baekhyun is a sure way of tiring out even the most vibrant of people, so Minseok keeps any snappy comments to himself and waits patiently. He takes a moment to gather his self-control and every other virtue that he’s learned from Junmyeon before ducking into the room.

The door slams decisively shut behind him.

* * *

“You stood in the middle of the street with a samurai sword and thought you’d be walking away with what? A neat little million and no repercussions?” Minseok doesn’t sit down opposite Baekhyun, can’t even stand to look at his face, really. 

His Ted Baker coat (anniversary gift from Junmyeon, custom-tailored) suddenly feels too stifling but he can’t take it off because all he has underneath are Junmyeon’s old Dooly pyjamas and he definitely doesn’t want Baekhyun seeing _that_. The digital clock on the wall blinks a steady 01:23 and Minseok honestly feels like trashing the room. 

He wants to go home. 

“Well...yes,” Baekhyun says and the grin shows through his voice, cocky and confident. 

Minseok shoves his hands into his pockets - he has never felt quite so much desire to strangle a client before. His fingers curl around a crinkled receipt which, upon closer inspection, is from that time that he and Junmyeon bought out a whole cinema just to marathon the Star Wars franchise for the millionth time. While a fun experience, it’s one that Minseok is very happy keeping as a _memory_ and would not, even if he was paid to do so, repeat. 

Minseok thinks of Junmyeon and the way he had been watching the screen as intently as the first time they’d watched the movies together, and grips the crumpled paper tighter. With that, he turns to finally look at his client (he’s there, he may as well). 

Baekhyun looks dishevelled and tired, his ratty t-shirt and jeans matching the grimy interior of the holding cell. His wrist looks raw where it’s rubbed against the harsh metal of the handcuff and Minseok feels a brief flash of pity - a brother is still a brother. Even if it _is_ Baekhyun. 

“And your boyfriend was okay with this idea?” Minseok pulls out his chair, finally, and deposits his tired limbs into it, leaning his elbows on the table. It turns out to be as uncomfortable as it looks. 

“He’s the one pressing charges,” Baekhyun grins but for the first time it seems uncertain. Maybe it’s finally hitting him that he’s in over his head, Minseok hopes. 

“Against you?” he sighs.

“Against...the state?” Baekhyun pauses as the realisation finally sinks in. “Oh. Against me.”

“I’m guessing you’d want the bail option then?” Minseok clicks his tongue and makes to stand up but Baekhyun makes an aborted attempt to reach out, arm being jerked back by the handcuffs. For the first time in his whole life, Minseok sees the other panic. 

“The-- the appeal’s gone through,” he whispers, “I can’t get out now.” 

Minseok’s mouth draws into a thin line and his fingers reach to play with the Louis Vuitton chain around his wrist. He’d never noticed how heavy it was before. 

“Let me make a call,” he says. 

* * *

Junmyeon floats through the door looking no more put together than Minseok feels, hair flopping into his eyes and face hidden behind a pair of Santos de Cartier sunglasses (the metal ones with the grey PVD finish, the ones that Minseok likes the most). He had been sleeping, probably, catching up on some much-needed rest after a stressful day at the office where he had been reviewing files that _were not Baekhyun’s._

It’s exactly where he should still be, and Minseok should be beside him, curled up under their - frankly overpriced - linens, nose buried in Junmyeon’s soft hair.

“Hyung!” Baekhyun exclaims as if he hadn’t disrupted their whole night, sitting up a bit straighter in his seat and grinning wildly. The handcuffs rattle against the leg of the table and the movement jostles Minseok’s knee. He bites back a hiss, wishing he could strike out. But Baekyun has enough charges to fight off already, and Minseok isn't really a fan of sabotaging his own job.

“That’s Mr Kim to you,” Junmyeon pulls up another chair, “I’m your lawyer now”.

He doesn’t take his sunglasses off as he sits down and Minseok totally gets it, kind of wishes he had his own lenses to hide behind. 

Junmyeon yanks the paperwork closer and his knee brushes against Minseok’s thigh with the sudden movement. They share a fleeting smile and Minseok physically feels the blush creep up his neck and into his face. It’s a miracle, he thinks, that he has managed to find someone to fall in love with over and over again, even in small moments like these.

“It’s salvageable”, Junmyeon murmurs after a few moments, pulling out his matching Hugo Boss fountain pen - they were cute, okay? - to make a few notes on the wall of writing in front of him. Minseok watches him furiously underline a few words and make a few angry scribbles into the margin.

“I’ll get out?” Baekhyun leans forward, brows furrowed and jaw clenched tight. He looks skinny and scared and sad so Minseok leans over too, stares into his eyes.

“You’re an idiot, Byun, but we’ll get you out,” he says as firmly as he can because Baekhyun is his half-brother-turned-client and he deserves the reassurance. Minseok may not _like_ being a lawyer but he’s damn good at it, and he knows that Junmyeon has an unmatched success rate and reputation in his field. 

“Our first meeting. Tomorrow morning. Ten on the dot.” Junmyeon pushes the chair back and cringes at the awful sound it makes. “Try to be as insufferable as possible until then”. Baekhyun stares at him with wide eyes.

“I’ll see you at two, I refuse to work before lunch,” Minseok slides over his and Junmyeon’s cards (for the sake of the routine, not because Baekhyun doesn’t know their numbers), “can’t say that we’re looking forward to working with you, but we’ll sure be back”. 

Minseok’s on the phone to the chauffeur before they’re fully out of the holding cell.

**MONDAY:**

While Minseok does consider himself to be a morning person, he just isn’t a _Baekhyun-in-the-morning_ kind of guy, and the state that Junmyeon comes home in after their meeting inspires him to believe he'd made the right call.

“Spending a morning in _that_ place with _that_ person is an experience I wouldn’t wish on anybody,” Junmyeon grumbles as he clatters around the room, flinging his blazer carelessly onto the back of a nearby chair and flopping down the bed. The mattress bounces, and Minseok hears something (probably Junmyeon’s house keys with their hundreds of keychains) rattle as they hit the floor. Still, he makes no move to leave his blanket cocoon, and expresses his sympathy through vague noises and by rolling a little closer to his listless partner.

“C’mon,” Junmyeon says eventually, sneaking his cold feet under the duvet and plastering them unexpectedly against Minseok’s calf, “get up. I wanna take you out to lunch”.

The thing is, it had just gotten cold enough outside for Minseok to break out the Savoir bed sheets (customised and bought last Christmas), and leaving them for any reason - even a lunch date with his favourite person in the entire world - is a struggle. But what Junmyeon wants, Junmyeon gets - as is the law of their household - so it's not too long before Minseok is perching listlessly on the edge of the bed with his feet shoved into his Mr Porter slippers and head in his hands.

Junmyeon army-crawls up behind him and curls, very much like a kitten, around him. He’s warm and solid against Minseok’s back and they sit like that for a moment, just breathing together. 

“This almost seems counter-productive, 'Myeon,” Minseok scolds gently but reaches back to card a hand through Junmyeon’s hair anyway. It’s sticky with gel and he grunts, backtracking immediately and wiping the most of it on his pyjama pant leg. It’s a nice pyjama leg, belonging to a limited edition Calvin Klein set that Minseok had bought for Junmyeon during their last impromptu trip to New York; the fact that Minseok has ended up wearing them a lot more often is neither here nor there. 

Just as he starts to believe that he is morally prepared enough to start the day, Minseok hears his phone wildly vibrate with a series of notifications. Just hearing the sound is enough to make his stomach lurch because he _knows_ it’ll be something about Baekhyun and the case, and he _knows_ he is not prepared enough to give proper and unbiased legal advice in a few hours. But, as experience has shown him, _knowing_ these things has never been enough to change the situation in the slightest. 

“What’s it say?” Junmyeon mumbles sleepily while reaching out blindly for the phone. He fumbles around for a while and it's just enough time for Minseok to take a deep breath and steel his nerves for what he’s about to read. 

The text is, of course, about Baekhyun, and Minseok imagines this will become a common theme in his foreseeable future. Knowing Junmyeon’s customary tactics for obtaining compensation money, Minseok will be looking to receive an influx of similarly-worded messages throughout the next few days or even weeks - depending on how the trial will go. 

"You're doing well, 'Myeon, he's already started to cause trouble," Minseok comments after reading through the letter of complaint once again, out loud for his one-person audience. The sudden sense of pride that he feels at Baekhyun’s antics, while not necessarily unwarranted, is surprising. It is a long-standing truth in the Kim-Byun family, however, that Baekhyun’s behaviour is able to invoke all sorts of unexpected emotions so Minseok doesn’t let it trouble him too much.

"Huh," Junmyeon's arms wind sneakily around Minseok’s waist and lock together, "with who?" The Cartier rings he’d bought recently catch the sunlight and Minseok makes a mental note to drop by the store sometime soon. A personalised order, maybe, with the designer’s signature engraved next to the hallmark. 

"Some new guy. I think Yifan's caught onto what you're doing though." Minseok throws the phone back somewhere onto the bed and turns to hug Junmyeon properly, tucking his head under his partner’s chin. They curl into each other like shrimps, overpriced colognes fading into the scent of fresh linen. Junmyeon feels wonderful in his arms and Minseok briefly considers relinquishing all of his responsibilities and falling asleep right there, in that moment. 

"I'll be honest with you," Minseok can feel the rumble of Junmyeon’s voice against his forehead, "it's not the first time I've had to use that strategy with his inmates, and it probably won’t be the last. I'd say he's probably quite familiar with it by now." 

Just as Minseok is beginning to drift off, Junmyeon rolls away and yanks off the covers, exposing Minseok’s tightly-coiled body to the frigid air. 

“Come on,” he says gleefully, “no time to dilly-dally”.

“It better be that place with the overpriced coffee,” Minseok grumbles to the cooling bed sheets where Junmyeon had just been. 

* * *

It is, in fact, the place with the overpriced coffee.

As much as they try not to talk about Baekhyun, Junmyeon ends up briefing Minseok on the case anyway. What his half-brother had been trying to achieve, it seems in retrospect, was to somehow dupe the legal system into giving him money. By using a samurai sword. What he’s looking at instead is six months to a year of community service at best or indeterminable jail time at worst.

He’s got Minseok as a defence attorney to save him from the worst of the legal consequences and Junmyeon to somehow get some compensation money out of the whole ordeal and prevent him from going completely bankrupt and destroying his life. Legal fees - Baekhyun has had to find out the hard way - are extremely excessive. His boyfriend, a certain Do Kyungsoo, had been delegated to Jongdae as soon as the case had been opened, but Minseok suspects that not much is needed to be done on that front. Minseok just hopes that Kyungsoo’s apologies to Jongdae for interrupting his date night will be enough to grant him his easy freedom.

“You’ll need to do your ‘lawyer thing’ and get him out,” Junmyeon explains helpfully while folding a crane out of one of the napkins, “my job is to get the compensation money. You already know my plan for that.” 

“It seems to be going extremely well if the earlier email is anything to go by. I worry every time that it’ll backfire but you manage to bring it back every time.”

“I’ve already talked to Baekhyun about who he’ll need to target so it'll be fine. Trust me and just do your bit, Mr Solicitor.” Junmyeon flashes a smile at the waitress who brings over their drinks and sets his clumsy origami creation aside. “Anyway, that’s enough for now, let’s enjoy this in peace.” 

The coffee - some sort of Fazenda Santa Ines blend - is genuinely worth the price and Minseok allows himself to settle into the comfort of the little corner he and Junmyeon had created. Buying a table had been easy but it had taken them a while (and a lot of hopping around the cafe) to choose which one to settle on. Minseok had initially wanted to make it Junmyeon’s birthday gift but they had given up on that as soon as it became obvious that they were fighting over the same thing. 

“I was reading an article recently,” Junmyeon says through a mouthful of shortbread, “that was talking about the Mercedes A-Class.”

“Yes.” Minseok answers because he doesn’t know cars.

“Yeah, it’s pretty nice.”

“Is it?”

“Mhm.” Junmyeon sips his coffee thoughtfully, legs bouncing slightly under the table.

“Do you want one?” 

“Nah.” Junmyeon says but they both know that one will be parked in the garage by the next morning anyway. 

* * *

“So our argument, essentially, is that you’re dumb.” Minseok closes the battered case file and leans his elbows on it, staring Baekhyun down. They’re in the visiting room this time rather than the holding cell and while there’s no difference to the depressingly grey interior, it’s a little bit warmer at least. Baekhyun’s decked out in his prison uniform, hemmed pants and all, wrists still in handcuffs because he’s been marked down as ‘potentially violent’ (Junmyeon’s plan really seemed to be coming into fruition sooner than expected). 

“Delightful,” Baekhyun responds, “how much will I earn?”

“Is your freedom not enough?” Minseok spins his Montblanc pen on his knuckles - another matching item with Junmyeon, reserved for those cases in which he’s feeling especially hopeless. 

“I mean…” Baekhyun’s fingers drum on the grimy table top, revealing his anxiety despite his assured posture. It reminds Minseok of all the previous times they’ve sat like that, face to face, to discuss the younger’s behaviour. Their life hadn’t been particularly smooth growing up, but Minseok had never thought it would end up quite so...grey. 

“Ask Junmyeon that,” Minseok coughs, trying to get his mind back onto the job at hand rather than the shortcomings of his parenting abilities, “he’ll see what he can do”. 

From his briefcase - Prada, a birthday present from Junmyeon - he pulls out the _Bladed Articles and Offensive Weapons Guideline_ and slams it onto the desk in front of Baekhyun. A thin layer of dust rises from the impact, settling down after a few moments of them waiting patiently. 

Junmyeon, Minseok knows, loves metaphorical stuff like that and would have no doubt made some sort of deep, existential comment which would have made Baekhyun immediately reconsider all of his life choices up until that point (especially the samurai sword incident). Minseok, unfortunately, has never been able to form poetry quite as easily, so waits silently instead and hopes that his stern gaze can get the message across clearly enough. 

“It’s funny, but they didn’t specify what to do about a samurai sword in here.” he mutters darkly as soon as the air is clean enough to talk without choking. “But I’ll show you what we’re hoping for and we’ll see what we can do.” 

The manual itself is worn out, because apparently knife crime is still ‘in’ these days and Minseok is the only one who doesn’t see the appeal of it or have any interest in trying it out himself. He can recall at least ten dozen cases that he’s worked in the category before but not once, in his whole line of work, has he encountered a samurai sword incident. Baekhyun, as ever, has delivered the best. 

“Listen,” Minseok slips into his ‘lecturer voice’, the one that all his clients despise, “the maximum sentence you can get is four years. Now, obviously, we don’t want that. So what we first need to do is to prove that you weren’t threatening anybody. Then, we’d want to show that you have no prior…” here he trails off for a moment while thinking carefully about his phrasing, “ _relevant_ convictions.”

The more Minseok thinks about it, really, the less attainable the whole thing seems to become. 

**TUESDAY:**

Minseok doesn’t have to go in to see Baekhyun the next day, and honestly it’s such a blessing that he spends the first half of the day preparing a nice lunch spread for a still-sleeping Junmyeon. He’d decided to go all out, had even used his ‘do I pay you to do nothing around here?’ card to get Jongin to buy and deliver all of the necessary ingredients.

Minseok's spread is of just about every breakfast imaginable, including various presentations of granola-based dishes, omelettes, and sandwiches. When it's done, Jongin takes one long look at it all and heaves a deep, troubled sigh. 

“It's a shame that Kyungsoo-hyung’s behind bars. At least his would be edible, even if it was too much.” 

“I’ll send you off to Busan,” Minseok warns, “I have some contracts there that need bringing up to Seoul at some point this week”. 

“Looks lovely,” Jongin quickly amends, “I’ll get going now”. 

“Of course.” Minseok doesn’t bother leading him to the door.

* * *

The food turns out to be not only edible but quite enjoyable, and Minseok lets the rare overwhelming happiness engulf him as they eat together. Sure, they usually get Jongdae or Jongin to deliver their standard breakfast (or get Chanyeol to throw them something together if they happen to be running especially late) but it’s a nice change to eat some _heartfelt_ food for once. 

“You should do this more often,” Junmyeon says through a mouthful of sweet potato and kale frittata. “You’re not as bad as I thought you’d be.” 

“Thanks,” Minseok replies drily, sipping at his morning brew. 

“You’re working from home today, right?” there’s something underlying when Junmyeon looks at him, a glimmer that Minseok is slightly afraid of. 

“Mhm.” 

“Expect a parcel sometime in the afternoon. Don’t freak out and set off the alarm system like last time, okay?” Junmyeon snickers at the reminder and Minseok swats at his foot under the table, kicking off both of their slippers in the process.

“It was a stressful case.” he grumbles but it’s a weak retaliation and they both know it. Junmyeon laughs openly and Minseok loses himself in the light sound for a moment. 

“I could listen to you laugh for hours,” he says accidentally and Junmyeon cackles, kicking out again under the table. His ears are red though, Minseok notes, so at least he’d enjoyed the sudden compliment. 

“Duly noted,” he passes over the last bite of his food to Minseok and moves to stand, “now let me go get your brother out of prison”. 

* * *

The parcel arrives at two exactly, delivered by Sehun as a safety precaution (neither Minseok nor Junmyeon particularly like to disclose their address and the last time an outsider had tried to enter the property it had ended in disaster). Only Minseok’s mutual kinship with Yifan - and a lot of vaguely-phrased legal threats towards the officers on the scene - had saved them from further trouble. 

“What is it?” Minseok asks as he’s signing the papers and Sehun gives him such a blank look that he almost backs down. “Who’s it for?” 

“Clearly it’s for you,” Sehun deadpans and for a brief moment Minseok imagines throwing him in with Baekhyun, employee or not. 

“I’ll send you off to Busan,” he tries.

“You won’t.” Sehun gives him a brief, stilted hug (Minseok always seems to forget that Sehun’s just an affectionate kid at heart) and scurries off to run his next errand. 

* * *

Minseok lets the parcel stand around for a while - both because he can’t be bothered to fetch the scissors to open it and because he’s slightly afraid of what he’ll find inside. It’s not that intimidating per se, but it’s wide and flat and honestly Minseok has no idea what it could be, which anybody would agree is unnerving.

He works on Baekhyun’s file for a while, calls a few people to make himself feel productive and after he can’t take it anymore, sets everything aside and tentatively approaches the parcel. He checks the label one more time - _is it really for him? Is it okay to open it?_ \- and cuts through the heavily plastered-on duct tape. 

The parcel, when Minseok finally opens it, is nothing less than a huge collage of various ticket stubs, invitations, and registration receipts. Upon closer inspection, Minseok realises that it is a collection - or a shrine of some sorts - of all the dates and events that he and Junmyeon had ever been on or attended.

“Huh,” Minseok says to the room at large, “he really kept all of this”.

It’s a bizarre gift but Minseok should have expected nothing less from Junmyeon, and the roughly-torn slip of notebook paper that falls out just as he’s about to dispose of the wrapping serves to complete the gift. _‘Here’s to making new memories with you’_ it says in Junmyeon’s messily handwritten cursive.

The collage turns out to be a pretty hefty thing - about the size of a 24x30 canvas and weighing twice as much as one should - but somehow Minseok just about manages to lug it over to his office and lean it against the nearest wall. Hanging it up will be Chanyeol and Jongin’s problem later, he decides.

The office space had always been ambiguously decorated, with the inhabitants’ two clashing styles bouncing off each other and melding somewhere in the middle. Despite the house easily having enough rooms for Minseok and Junmyeon to have an office each, they had both come to the conclusion that working together in the same space was preferable. Even though Junmyeon’s side of the room never fails to give Minseok anxiety when he so much as looks at it, it's worth enduring the chaos just to hear the mundane sounds of his partner at work (the clatter of his keyboard, the way he hums quietly to himself, the tapping of his foot). 

So Minseok settles behind his pristine desk, kicks his feet up onto the Rowell footstool he’d recently inherited from a very distant relative, and opens Baekhyun's report.

* * *

At five-thirty, Minseok decides that it is the perfect time to put Baekhyun’s file far _far_ away where he can’t see it and plan something he’d actually _like_ to do for once. The idea of a dinner date is the first to spring to mind and without overthinking it too much, he decides to settle for that. After all, if there’s anything to extinguish the burning frustration within his body, it’s the combination of Junmyeon and good food. He calls the most expensive place in their area (because he can) to reserve a booth. To reserve it all, really. 

“I’m sorry sir,” the waiter says with a hint of amusement, “I’m afraid the establishment has already been booked for the evening.”

“Is it by any chance Kim Junmyeon’s doing?” Minseok sighs defeatedly. 

“Affirmative. We’ll see you in the evening, sir.” 

Though somewhat disheartened, Minseok doesn’t let it bother him too much and shoots off a message to Jongdae to get the car ready. He takes the new Mercedes on principle. 

* * *

No matter how much he encourages his chauffeur to be generous on the accelerator, Minseok is unable to beat Junmyeon to the restaurant, who simply lifts a wine glass in greeting when Minseok power-walks through the doors and into the lobby. He’s wearing one of those incredibly smug smiles that tells Minseok that he’s won. Or that he thinks he’s won.

“Long time no see.” Minseok slides into the opposite side of the comfortable booth and gestures for the loitering waiter to come over. 

“I’ve taken care of the order,” Junmyeon smoothly interjects and the young man sends Minseok a completely unreadable glance before bowing and disappearing into the kitchens. 

Junmyeon’s dressed in the shirt that Minseok loves - the white one with the faded black stripes. It’s not gaudy enough to be labeled as checkered but Minseok doesn’t really know how else to describe the pattern. Either way, it works beautifully with the black blazer look he’s got going on, and the first few buttons being undone are a treat that Minseok certainly isn’t about to take for granted.

“We managed to match.” Junmyeon relaxes further into the leather couch cushions, throwing one leg over the other and staring Minseok down over the rim of his wine glass. He’s not wrong and Minseok smiles as he flicks some lint off of the lapel of his own blazer.

“I looked through your clothes racks to see what was missing.” Minseok huffs a laugh and takes his first sip of the wine, savouring the taste on his tongue. Villa Broglia, he notes - not too bad. 

Junmyeon smiles as if he had already known. He probably had planned the whole thing, had likely left the door to his walk-in closet open on purpose just so that Minseok could follow his little trail. Cocky shit. 

“What’s with the sudden dinner?”

“Oh don’t act like you weren’t expecting it,” Junmyeon smirks into his wine, “I know you were trying to do the same”. 

Minseok says nothing, just hooks his leg around Junmyeon’s and rubs their ankles together. It’s satisfying to see Junmyeon jerk in his set a little so he does it again, moving slowly and with purpose. Their dress shoes squeak and Junmyeon pulls back, blushing. 

“Oh, right, I-I saw these earlier and thought of you.” Placing his glass down shakily with one hand, Junmyeon reaches into his pocket and pulls out two boxes. He slides them across the table - two Swarovski boxes, each individually wrapped in a silver ribbon and sealed with Junmyeon’s family crest (he likes to break it out occasionally). 

“As if the collage wasn’t enough.” Minseok pulls the boxes closer but doesn’t open them yet. 

“Oh it came?” Junmyeon extends a finger and delicately pushes the boxes further. Minseok pretends not to notice.

“Two o’clock, like you said. You’re incredibly punctual, ‘Myeon.” 

“At least some of us have it together I guess.” Junmyeon tilts his head to the side a little bit, revisiting what he said. “Not me though, the delivery guy.”

“Right, no, yeah. I get that. Makes you think, doesn’t it. When the example of organisation is Sehun, then you really know things are going downhill.”

“Hey,” Junmyeon leans forward and unsubtly pushes the neglected boxes even closer to Minseok, “you’re being too harsh on yourself again. Also, my presents. Please open them. The left one first.”

Minseok, purely because he likes annoying Junmyeon in those particularly petty ways, starts with the one on the right. He opens it excruciatingly slowly, for maximum frustration, but forgets all about that as soon as he gets a glimpse of what is inside. It’s a thin cord with a pendant, one of those half-necklace-half-choker things that Minseok’s been particularly into lately and hadn’t even had the opportunity to mention to Junmyeon yet.

“You like it?” Junmyeon has that sparkle in his eye, the one that makes him look like an excited kid. Minseok loves that look, loves the innocence that Junmyeon lets shine through in those rare moments. 

“Of course I do, ‘Myeon.” 

“Okay, yeah, cool. I’m-- I’m glad.” Junmyeon scratches at his neck anxiously while Minseok carefully unwraps the second box. 

It’s an earring - just one - nestled in a soft velvet lining and glittering under the soft ambient light of the restaurant. It’s one of the most beautiful things that Minseok has ever seen, honestly, even though he has hundreds of priceless accessories in his collection at home. 

“You like that one more? I can--,“ Junmyeon stumbles over his words, “I can return the necklace if you don’t-“ 

“Help me put these on and be quiet.” Minseok shuffles so that he’s close enough for Junmyeon to reach around his neck and waits patiently. It takes a few seconds (Junmyeon gets caught up in his head sometimes, tends to convince himself of too many negative things at the same time) but eventually he moves, cold fingers brushing Minseok’s skin as they fasten the clasp of the necklace.

The food arrives just as Junmyeon finishes putting in the earring and the waiter, the same guy from earlier, somehow manages to set up the whole spread in under a minute without getting in the way. 

“Enjoy your meal, sirs.” With a curt bow, the waiter steps back, disappearing into the kitchen before Minseok even realises he’s gone. 

“Well come on then,” Junmyeon mixes the sauce into the noodle dish placed before him before switching it with Minseok’s, “let’s dig in”. 

**WEDNESDAY:**

The next morning brings with it a myriad of problems, all (completely unsurprisingly) revolving around Baekhyun. The first thing to come in is a text from Jongdae, then an email from Yifan, swiftly followed by a WhatsApp from Kyungsoo. Minseok’s just glad that out of his three phones (one for work, one for personal matters, one for the almost-estranged relatives), his work one has the most distinct ringtone. 

“Well at least Dumb is out,” Minseok murmurs into the pillow, “now we’re just left with Dumber”. 

Junmyeon makes a vague sigh of agreement and snuggles closer, throwing his arm around Minseok’s middle and pressing his forehead into the older’s chest. His breath fans out across Minseok’s skin and he shudders, gathering Junmyeon closer and curling around him as best he can.

“You’re tired, huh?” He runs his fingers through Junmyeon’s hair fondly, catching a whiff of his apple-scented shampoo. “Yeah, I know the feeling. Too bad that Baekhyun is waiting for us.” 

Junmyeon rolls back over, throws a pillow over his face, and screams. 

* * *

Yifan’s on desk duty again and barely looks up when Junmyeon slams a take-out coffee mug onto the island of clear space in front of him. 

“Open bribery now, Mr Kim?” His hand snakes out to take the mug before Junmyeon even starts to retaliate.

“I know the cappuccinos from the Third are shit,” Junmyeon leans his elbows on the desk and the officer finally looks up, “just give us ten minutes with no CCTV.” 

“Nine,” Yifan amends. “Yixing will take you.” 

“What happened to Zitao?” Minseok takes his own sip of coffee just as an incredibly attractive police officer (since when had that been part of the hiring procedure?) appears from around the corner. He feels Junmyeon’s elbow dig sharply between his ribs and wastes no time in looking away. 

“He quit.” Yifan waves a dismissive hand and the new officer - Yixing - quickly ushers Minseok and Junmyeon away from the desk and down the dimly-lit corridor. 

The station is quiet with Baekhyun out of the holding cell and Minseok takes the opportunity to give Yixing another once over, noting the relaxed set of his shoulders and the skip in his step. He’s more composed than Zitao but it’s uncertain whether he’s really cut out for the job. One inmate like Baekhyun and Yixing would probably be packing his bags too.

‘Two weeks,’ Junmyeon mouths at him and Minseok shakes his head. 

‘One.’ They sneak in a quick handshake before Yixing scans his ID card and holds open the door. 

* * *

When Junmyeon had asked for Minseok’s help with a new client earlier that morning, Minseok hadn’t really expected it to be the waiter from their most recent dinner out, still dressed in his uniform and wringing his hands together nervously. 

“Oh,” Minseok follows Junmyeon in taking a seat opposite the slightly dishevelled man, “hello again.” 

“This is the lawyer I was talking about earlier,” Junmyeon gestures to Minseok, “I suggest you ask him to take on your case.” The young man nods, eyes downcast. Minseok wonders whether he had known he was fucked as soon as Junmyeon had made the dinner reservation the night before. 

The weird thing about being a prosecutor-solicitor combo is that planning out a strategy (either for prosecution or defence) becomes a piece of cake and is usually completed in a matter of minutes. Long before their allocated visiting time is up, Minseok and Junmyeon have a solid narrative, a plan of action, and various backup options in case things go downhill in the courtroom. 

“Money buys everything, Mr Seo,” Junmyeon tears a page out of his notebook and scribbles down some messy instructions including ‘encourage petty arguments’ and ‘ignite deep inner hatred’, “did you know that?” 

Mr Seo - who is being held for credit card fraud - admits that he does. 

“You’ll be placed in the same cell as three other dudes. Look for inmate 3848 and give this to him at a quiet moment please.” Junmyeon passes over the note and waits for the man to nod and tuck it into his pocket quietly. The fact that it should be conducted underhand goes unsaid. 

“And Mr Seo?” Minseok takes his cue from Yixing to stand up and gather his belongings. “Please keep 3848 company while you’re both in there.”

* * *

The obvious next stop after the police station is the park. Spending hours cooped up in dark rooms and reading pages of boring juridical documents had nearly been enough to send Minseok over the edge, and he assumed Junmyeon to be in a similar state of mind. After some asking around and Googling, it hadn’t taken Minseok too long to throw together a loose plan for a picnic date.

He’d managed to acquire some pretty rare foods (that French finger food that Junmyeon has been going on about recently) and - perhaps even more impressively - live music. The whole ordeal had been way too last-minute to get someone high-end in, but Chanyeol had picked up on the first ring and Minseok had offered high enough of a sum. 

“Are you _sure_ you had no other musicians to hire for this?” Chanyeol adjusts the strap of his guitar and plays a few chords to warm up, fingers moving confidently over the fretboard. He’s leant against the trunk of a nearby tree, looking like the indie film star he’d probably always wanted to be. Minseok tries not to think about how much money he’d had to spend on such a booking and swats at him instead. 

“Junmyeon loves you. Ergo, you were the best option.” Minseok takes the blanket and shakes it out, spreading it carefully and pulling at the corners to ensure it’s laying flat. Junmyeon watches at the side, bemused, holding a box of crackers.

“Can’t argue with that,” Chanyeol admits and allows Junmyeon to shove a cracker into his mouth, “any requests?”

“That one from your drama.” Junmyeon’s eyes are wide in excitement as he bounces on his feet. He looks adorable, dressed in his huge sweater and faded jeans and gripping onto his crackers like a kid with his treasured lunchbox.

“Sing the OST version though,” Minseok chimes in while laying out the rest of the food in neat rows along the edge of the blanket. Jongin had picked a good spot to set up - just shielded enough to avoid the worst of the sun but not too cold. 

“I wasn’t asking you,” Chanyeol sulkily rebukes but starts picking out the first few notes of the tune anyway. Minseok takes the opportunity to stretch out on the blanket, kicking off his shoes and enjoying the cool breeze as it dances over him. 

“‘Myeon, c’mere, let’s lay down”. 

“You guys are disgusting, just so you know.” Chanyeol heaves another sigh (it’s fake, Minseok knows for sure) and settles more comfortably against the tree. 

“I’ll pay you an extra fifty thousand to not say a word,” Minseok hisses quietly and Chanyeol immediately launches into the song. Junmyeon, completely oblivious to the bribery going on round him, tucks into a chicken and pork terrine.

* * *

The preparations that evening are particularly stressful and for the first time in a long while, Minseok isn't able to tame the feeling of helplessness spreading through his body. It’s a horrible sensation, like barely-melted ice pushing through his veins and settling somewhere deep in the ridges of his spine. His heart feels heavy and his lungs push against his ribcage with every breath. 

Tomorrow, Minseok realises, he’s going to stand before the judge and the jury and - under oath - try to convince them that his brother is just a dumb fool who doesn’t think about the consequences of his actions. 

“You’ll argue well.” Junmyeon shuffles into the room tiredly, holding two mugs of strong coffee. “And no, you won’t put your brother in prison.”

“But what if-” Minseok cuts the sentence off before he accidentally jinxes himself.

“No,” Junmyeon says with calm confidence, “you definitely won’t”. 

“Are you-”

“Yes,” Junmyeon cuts him off gently, “I’m sure.” He passes over one of the steaming mugs and perches on the edge of Minseok’s desk, crossing his ankles and taking a sip of his own coffee. His dishevelled appearance is telling enough, so Minseok tries for a few words of comfort of his own.

“You’ll do great.”

“I know.” Junmyeon flashes a cocky smirk and the vice in Minseok’s chest starts to loosen bit by bit, the ice in his veins melting just a little. The longer they sip their coffees in companionable silence - the warmer Minseok’s heart seems to beat. It was a routine that they’d established in law school, back when they were still wide-eyed undergraduates with huge ambitions and little self-confidence. Minseok panicked, Junmyeon made coffee, they drank in silence, and everything got better.

“Really takes me back,” Junmyeon comments, once again reading Minseok’s mind, “but I don’t miss those times as much as I thought I would.” 

“Never thought I’d be facing a samurai sword in evidence and arguing it was self-defence.” Minseok heaves an exasperated sigh.

“It’s funny, though.” Junmyeon finishes off his coffee and pushes off from the desk. He leaves the mug where it is because he’s a slob, and heads off to keep practicing his own speech. The second trial won’t be for a while yet but Junmyeon needs to be prepared for either result of the first, so in many ways, he has a lot more work to do. It’s one of those rare times that they can’t work from the same office - it’s hard to concentrate on what you’re saying when there’s someone else monologuing in the same space. It’s probably the main reason why Minseok was even freaking out in the first place; he can’t seem to function well without Junmyeon. 

“Yeah,” Minseok finally admits after days of keeping it in, just as the door clicks shut, “it kind of is.”

**THURSDAY:**

“Look less nervous,” Minseok hisses at Baekhyun, making sure his hand is covering the mic sufficiently enough to not be heard. To their left, the assigned prosecutor is shuffling his papers and making some last-minute notes. It’s not a huge case but there are still journalists in the audience, Minseok knows, as well as some of his own students. Kyungsoo sits on the front row, hands clasped together and shoulders slumped. 

The samurai sword, wrapped in its stupid evidence bag, lies at the prosecutor’s feet. 

“I’m not nervous, I’m terrified.” Baekhyun’s shaking hands, curl tightly into fists, drum against his thigh.

“Serves you right, you idiot.” Minseok tries not to let Baekhyun see the ways his legs are bouncing under the table. “It’s gonna be fine, we’ve gone over everything before. Idiocy, self defence, huge regret.” 

“I’m really _feeling_ it, hyung,” Baekhyun admits which is probably the first sign of self-reflection and personal growth he has ever shown. Minseok is proud of him. If he was being honest, Minseok was proud of Baekhyun a lot, and had been since they were both kids, but it’s not a sentiment that he really knows what to do with. 

There’s a pointed cough from the seats behind and Minseok cranes his head to see Junmyeon mouthing enthusiastically at him. No matter how well he knows Junmyeon, it still takes a few moments for Minseok to decipher what the hell he is being told.

‘If you’re proud,’ Junmyeon says, ‘then tell him, goddammit.’

“Hey, uh-” Minseok gives a stilted nod and turns back to the front of the courtroom, tangling his cold fingers with Baekhyun’s, “I’m. You’re doing well, yeah? And I, uh, well, yeah I’m definitely. I’m-”

“Are you alright?” Baekhyun leans in with concern, attempting to put a hand against Minseok’s forehead.

“Sit still, you fiend.” Minseok bats the hand away impatiently, frustrated at himself and his lack of communication skills. “I’m just. I’m proud of you, Baek.”

Baekhyun stares back blankly.

“Y-yeah that’s all. Uh, anyway, it’s about to start so-” Minseok pulls at his tie nervously. Before he can get too nervous though, Baekhyun’s face lights up and he leans even closer. 

“That’s a really cool thing for you to say, hyung! Thanks!” Baekhyun gives him a resounding smack on the shoulder just as the judge orders silence, and shrinks back at the dark look he receives in return.

“Let’s get this done with,” Minseok mutters to himself - or to them both really - as the prosecutor stands to make his statement. 

* * *

The first thing that Minseok does when they leave the courthouse is hug Baekhyun. It’s pleasant but weird and Minseok steps back after a few seconds, fumbling with his briefcase anxiously and waiting to see how Baekhyun reacts. Sure, words are one thing, but a whole Action is very different.

“Well that was disgusting, but thanks hyung,” Baekhyun says. Nevertheless, he surges forward again and wraps his gangly arms around Minseok once more, digging his chin into his brother’s shoulder and breathing in deeply. He’s thin and pitiful and Minseok subtly draws him in closer.

Minseok frowns at the deep breaths against his shoulder. “Are you smelling me?”

“Yes,” Baekhyun admits unapologetically and buries closer. “You still use the same detergent as when we were kids, by the way. It’s nice.”

“Let’s never hold a bladed article again, okay?” Junmyeon steps over and ruffles Baekhyun’s hair fondly. Minseok feels it when Baekhyun sniffles and gives him a few firm pats on the back, pretending that he isn’t in the slightest bit endeared at his younger brother’s antics.

Kyungsoo doesn’t let them hug it out for too long though, pushing through to grab Baekhyun by the arm and yank him away from the group hug. “Stop touching my boyfriend,” he snaps, “you’ve got your own”. 

“Yes yes,” Minseok sneaks an arm around Junmyeon’s waist and squeezes briefly, “I’m well aware thank you.”

They wait for the taxi together because Minseok suddenly feels like a big brother again and doesn’t really want Baekhyun to go off traipsing around the city instead of going straight home. Junmyeon stands quietly beside him, a comforting and steady warmth pressed up against his side. 

Baekhyun and Kyungsoo chat quietly but Minseok tunes them out easily, rocking back and forth on his heels and losing himself in the mundane noise of the passing traffic. The thing about dumb cases like Baekhyun’s, Minseok has come to realise, is that they’re the most stressful. Working with Junmyeon, too, is a certain type of pressure. 

They had studied together, had done countless simulations and case briefs and had graduated at the same time with the same grades but still, _still_ Minseok wants to show off a little bit every time he’s in the courtroom with Junmyeon. Just like the first time he’d set eyes on the cute law undergrad, Minseok wants Junmyeon to be _impressed._ He wants Junmyeon to look at him and see a competent lawyer, someone to respect and confide in and feel comfortable working with. They’d stood across each other in the courtroom more often than they had stood side by side, but to Minseok it had never felt like they were on different teams, or heading in vastly different directions. Minseok wants to be seen as an esteemed colleague, a reliable partner and soon, hopefully - if Luhan doesn’t somehow manage to lose the ring while bringing it over from China - a husband. 

“What are you thinking about?” Junmyeon laces their fingers together and swings their hands playfully. 

Minseok blinks out of his daydream and turns to look at Junmyeon. Despite the lack of sleep and perpetual state of near-breakdown, he looks beautiful. “Nothing much. I guess we just won the dumbest case of all time, that’s all.” 

“You’d be surprised,” Junmyeon reasons with a small, tired smile. “This was just an average Thursday afternoon for the judge, trust me.” 

Minseok thinks back on all of the people he’s defended in the past and sighs. “You know what? You’re probably right.”

* * *

“Alright Junmyeonnie” he says softly, “alright handsome.” He walks them back slowly, until Junmyeon’s knees are hitting the bed and they fold, together, onto those damn, overpriced Savoir covers. They’ve been here so many times before but it’s no less wonderful, no less exciting to see Junmyeon like this - hair a mess and eyes bright with excitement. 

He doesn’t have time to look though, not for long, before Junmyeon’s pulling him down and licking into his mouth, desperate and rushed, as if they don’t have the rest of their lives to live this moment over and over again. 

Minseok laughs quietly and begins to work at his top button, tantalisingly slow. “Jun, baby, slow down. Let hyung catch up.” 

It’s a test, of sorts, to see what Junmyeon’s feeling tonight. It always goes one of two ways, always unpredictable until the very last moment because Junmyeon will either-

  1. a) wait patiently for Minseok to undress, eyes wide and focused on his every movement, hands fisted in the bedsheets to stop himself from touching because he’s been told to wait and he’s a good boy. He’ll look so delectable, so cute, and Minseok will take his time taking off his clothes, will watch as Junmyeon gulps nervously, will wait until his boyfriend is whining lowly in his throat, knowing that the sound is unintentional. He’ll slip off his shirt and wait for the sound of it hitting the floor before shuffling closer, slowly, calling Junmyeon _baby boy, kitten, my angel._



or-

  1. b) relentlessly fight back, get up in Minseok’s space, teeth grazing his collar bones and hands batting Minseok’s out of the way to get the clothes off faster, rougher. He’ll silence Minseok’s halfhearted protests with a growl. On those nights, Minseok simply calls him _Junmyeon-ah_. 



“It’s finally over,” Junmyeon sighs into Minseok’s mouth.

“Yes,” Minseok feels Junmyeon tangle their legs together, “let’s stop talking about it now.” 

Junmyeon grunts in response and wraps his arms around Minseok’s neck, yanking him closer and pressing their lips together. It’s not assertive, not in the way that Minseok knows Junmyeon can be, but the night is still young and Minseok knows that nothing’s off the table. He smiles into the kiss, laughing at the confused grunt that Junmyeon emits before flipping them both over and letting his back sink into the memory foam mattress.

In actual fact, there are very few things that Minseok is sure of, when it comes to Junmyeon. Will they have kids? Will they always stay working as lawyers? _Will they have to defend Baekhyun again?_ It’s terrifying not knowing those kinds of things and even though they try to talk about it sometimes, it’s impossible to reach a definitive answer. 

“Relationships are a subscription, not an upfront purchase,” Junmyeon always says in that annoyingly-philosophical voice whenever they have such a discussion. He’s not being pretentious on purpose though, Minseok knows, and there’s a lot of truth to his words. Minseok doesn’t live in his head, not in the way that Junmyeon does, but he’s happy to follow his partner’s philosophy with that one. 

There is one thing that Minseok knows for certain, however, and that is that Junmyeon will accept his proposal. It won’t matter how Minseok proposes, whether it’s a well-thought out speech delivered while on a private night tour of the Seine, or whether it’s uttered quietly in the throes of passion on some hotel bed somewhere while on a business trip. Minseok _knows_ Junmyeon will say ‘yes’ either way.

So he won’t rush it, won’t let Junmyeon suspect anything until all of the preparations are completed, and - most importantly - won’t let Junmyeon get to it first. Although, on the off-chance, if Junmyeon happens to sneak the question in before him, Minseok doesn’t think he’d mind too much. 

**Author's Note:**

> also, thank you to the amazing mod of this fest and to my beta stephanie, without whom i couldn't have completed this work.
> 
> also, junmyeon encouraging baekhyun to act up is part of his own strategy for his case, don't question it and let him do his thing.


End file.
